Loading patent…
AssigneeSecretary, Department of Health and Human Services
InventorsRaoul E. Benveniste, Gene M. Shearer, Mario S. Clerici
Estimating the term…
A method and composition is disclosed for inducing a protective immunity against HIV by inoculation with immunogens in low doses that are sufficient to induce a sustained cell-mediated response to HIV but below the amount necessary to induce an offsetting humoral response. The immunogens available for use in this method include attenuated forms of the HIV virus, subunits of the HIV virus, inactivated HIV virus and subinfectious doses of live HIV virus, all delivered at low doses. These immunogens can be prepared with-suitable carriers, adjuvants or diluents and administered either intramuscularly, mucosally (e.g., orally), intravenously or subcutaneously. The effectiveness of the initial dose of immunogen can be monitored for the presence of a sufficient cell-mediated response using a T-cell proliferation assay or an interleukin-2 assay and monitored for the lack of offsetting humoral response using commercially available ELISA assays for anti-HIV antibodies. Depending upon the results of the cell-mediated response assays, supplementary or “booster” inoculations may be appropriate.
A method for vaccinating a human against a human immunodeficiency virus comprising the steps of:
A method for vaccinating a human against a human immunodeficiency virus comprising the steps of:
A method for vaccinating a human against a mammalian retrovirus comprising the steps of:
A vaccine comprising a therapeutically effective dose of an immunogen capable of eliciting a cell-mediated immune response in a human protective against infection by a human immunodeficiency virus.
A vaccine comprising a dose of immunogen capable of eliciting a cell-mediated response in a human as measured by a T-cell proliferation assay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.